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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767461">I’d Rather Make Mistakes Than Nothing at All</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/etcetera_kit/pseuds/etcetera_kit'>etcetera_kit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Super Sentai Series, 宇宙戦隊キュウレンジャー | Uchu Sentai Kyuranger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Loving Parents, M/M, Missing in Action, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wilderness Survival</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:49:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,507</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/etcetera_kit/pseuds/etcetera_kit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Don Armage, Naga and Stinger are living on Earth and planning their future together. Stinger goes on a routine mission for Rebellion and the unthinkable happens. Then Naga gets some unexpected news.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Naga Ray/Stinger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I’d Rather Make Mistakes Than Nothing at All</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This has been my vacation week project and is dedicated to tenbinsilver! Thank you for helping me develop this piece and always supporting my writing! Please enjoy, everyone!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>I’d Rather Make Mistakes Than Nothing at All</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you done yet?”</p>
<p>“Give me five minutes.”</p>
<p>“I’m bored.”</p>
<p>“You’re not bored—you’re horny.”</p>
<p>“Yes, so hurry up!”</p>
<p>Stinger smiled over the top of his datapad. He needed to finish reading through the preliminary reports about the mission tomorrow. He and Balance would take a refurbished ship into the heart of the Southern Cross System. A Jark Matter stronghold still existed there and had been terrorizing the locals for some time. Rebellion troops had gotten them blocked onto one planet, and now they needed someone to sneak in and disable a massive shield grid around the planet. Balance knew the electronics and Stinger knew how to sneak around. He didn’t exactly relish spending time with Balance, but respected his expertise and, well, Balance and Naga would always be best friends. No way Stinger would ever have Balance out of his life.</p>
<p>Speaking of Naga, his boyfriend of two years finished his glass of wine and went over to the desk, refilling his glass from the partial bottle there. They’d started dating shortly after Naga got back from Akyanba and, after Don Armage, moved to Earth. Housing infrastructure had a long way to go on Earth, so they ended up staying with Naga’s parents. (Naga’s parents left the Ophiuchus System with him when Naga had been three years old. He really had no memory of living there. They moved from system to system for years until they got to Earth, getting refugee status and eventually becoming citizens. Naga had been about ten when that happened.) The two-bedroom apartment felt a little cramped for four adults, but Stinger went away on missions frequently. Naga did the occasional Rebellion mission, but had mostly been focused on his university classes. He wanted to finish his degree so he could help his mom with the business she’d started.</p>
<p>Naga wore a pair of loose lounge pants and a flowy open-front top. Meant to be worn as a sweater, but Naga had no shirt on underneath. His parents had gone to a nearby spa for an overnight trip, giving them more privacy than they usually had.</p>
<p>“You’re in a good mood,” Stinger commented.</p>
<p>“My appointment today went really well. I feel like myself for the first time in forever. Plus,” Naga held up the freshly refilled glass of wine, “My doctor said I can have two glasses of wine, and whatever sex I’m comfortable with. And this is the second glass. So hurry up!”</p>
<p>He’d never really detailed everything that happened while he’d been brainwashed by Akyanba, but Naga had some serious health complications. With their battle with Don Armage still raging, Rebellion doctors had gotten him well enough to continue as a Kyuranger, knowing more treatment would be required later. Naga did so few missions because his doctors put a lot of restrictions on him as he continued to heal. He spent some days in bed, unable to really function because of the pain. The last few months, he really seemed to have turned a corner, felt better, acted more like himself, and definitely wanted to jump into bed with Stinger more.</p>
<p>Stinger scanned the last paragraphs of the report. Standard stuff. Rebellion found the Southern Cross ship they’d be using and they’d discovered the rotating codes. If they did not have the right code, they could sneak through the shields by cloaking under a Southern Cross ship. Abandon their ship. Get to the main power source on foot. Blow the source, lay low until Rebellion arrived to extract them. Simple enough.</p>
<p>He turned off the datapad and set the device on the charging station, taking off his reading glasses and setting them on the nighstand. “You leave any wine for me?” he asked with a smile. Naga rose from where he had been perched on the edge of their bed and went to the desk, filling up a second glass. He made his way to Stinger, handing him the glass. Stinger got an arm around Naga’s waist, pulling him close, other hand accepting the glass. He leaned in, stealing a soft, sweet kiss. The wine tasted sweet, Naga loved the stuff, from a local place. Naga responded to the kiss, one hand resting on his chest. Naga might have still had a top on, but Stinger only wore lounge pants.</p>
<p>“What did you want to do tonight?” Stinger asked him, taking a sip.</p>
<p>“I want you to fuck me,” Naga replied with no hesitation.</p>
<p>“You sure you’re feeling up for that?”</p>
<p>Naga barely suppressed an eyeroll. “Yes,” he replied emphatically. “We haven’t done that in months and I want to feel you that way.” He sighed, grabbing another kiss. “Besides, you’ll be gone for two weeks and I want some good memories from tonight.”</p>
<p>Stinger smiled. He never really could tell Naga no. And Naga never wanted more than he could give. He’d been surprised when Naga suggested they move to Earth and live with his parents for a while. Sure, Stinger knew that Naga had a close relationship with his parents, and they kept in touch regularly, even sending Naga drone care packages with treats specific to Earth that Naga loved. He hadn’t really considered saving money and moving in with them, but the move made sense, especially with the housing shortage. And Stinger found himself shocked when Naga’s parents just accepted him, treated him like another son, respected their relationship and privacy. He felt like part of the family. And he hadn’t felt like he had a family in a long time. He and Naga talked about getting married, but put that off for the future. They had immediate concerns—Naga’s continuing medical treatments, university classes, saving money for their future.</p>
<p>He drank more of the wine and set the glass down on a nightstand. He plucked Naga’s glass from his hand as well. He then wrapped both arms around Naga’s waist, drawing him as close as possible and starting a deep, open-mouthed kiss that made Naga shudder, move closer and produce a pleased noise from somewhere in the back of his throat. Naga’s people, Stinger had learned, had a unique method of reproduction. The men carried the babies, a move made after they gave up their emotions. Females would provide genetic material that was spun into sperm and the men were artificially inseminated. Females could nurse children, but only the men could give birth. Naga had never heard of any Ophiuchus male getting pregnant the traditional way, but his doctor believed that to be possible and had given him a birth control implant.</p>
<p>So when Naga asked Stinger to fuck him… that meant something very specific.</p>
<p>Stinger gently pushed the top from his shoulders, depositing the garment on the floor. He slowly backed Naga towards the bed. Naga’s knees hit the edge and he pulled Stinger down with him, falling into a tangle of limbs and continued kisses. Stinger felt warm and happy. He didn’t really want to leave on this extended mission, but this would get them into the last Jark Matter stronghold, and then he could be home, maybe take some classes, work full-time for Naga’s mom. Get married.</p>
<p>The kisses slowly heated up and they finally got rid of their clothes.</p>
<p>Naga made a pleased noise as Stinger entered him, both of them finding a rhythm and angle they liked, finally as close as they wanted to be.</p>
<p>Afterwards, Stinger held Naga close. Naga’s fingers tapped down his chest, forming a nonsense pattern. “What time do you have to leave in the morning?” Naga asked.</p>
<p>“Early. Five.”</p>
<p>Naga pulled a face, but rolled away from Stinger and set the alarm clock on the nightstand for four-thirty. He then snuggled back against Stinger.</p>
<p>“You going to see me off?”</p>
<p>“Of course. I miss you when you’re not around.”</p>
<p>Stinger captured Naga’s lips in a chaste kiss. “I love you,” he murmured.</p>
<p>“I love you too.”</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>The next morning, they stood on the porch outside the apartment, kissing until Stinger’s shuttle arrived. When the shuttle pulled up, Balance stuck his head out the window, calling, “Stop making out! Let’s go, Stinger!”</p>
<p>Stinger fought the urge to roll his eyes, while Naga smiled.</p>
<p>“Take care of him!” Naga called to Balance.</p>
<p>Balance held up his hands. “Always! Have to bring your boy toy home to you!”</p>
<p>Stinger picked up his duffel bag and gave Naga one last kiss. “See you in two weeks,” he said softly. “I love you.”</p>
<p>“I love you too.”</p>
<p>Naga handed him the bento box with his breakfast. Stinger accepted the package and walked down the steps, getting into the shuttle. Naga and his mom both happened to be very good cooks. Naga’s dad, not so much. But Stinger saw Naga make this breakfast, so he knew the food would be delicious. Balance immediately began to chatter as the shuttle pulled away.</p>
<p>Stinger watched Naga, until he disappeared from view when they rounded a corner. But he knew Naga stayed on the porch, watching the shuttle depart.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>A week later, Naga got a phone call from Raptor. He’d just finished attending one of his virtual university classes and had taken a break to prepare some lunch. He frowned when he saw the caller. Stinger and Balance were not due back for another week, and because they would be on the surface of a planet still controlled by Jark Matter, they couldn’t communicate back unless they had an emergency. His heart immediately began to hammer. His hands shook as he picked up the call.</p>
<p>“Raptor?” he breathed.</p>
<p>“Naga,” she replied. “I need to tell you something.”</p>
<p>“What? Are Stinger and Balance okay? What happened?”</p>
<p>“We’re not sure.”</p>
<p>Naga’s brain refused to process the information. “What do you mean you’re not sure?”</p>
<p>“We got them onto the surface, and that part went off without a hitch. Twelve hours ago, they blew the main power source for the shield, and our troops took the planet. They got there earlier than expected, which means they encountered no issues or resistance. But then we went to the rendezvous spot and they weren’t there.”</p>
<p>“Were they in the explosion?”</p>
<p>“There’s no evidence of that.”</p>
<p>“Can you track their blasters or Kyutama?”</p>
<p>“I tried that too. Their blasters and Kyutama must be damaged.”</p>
<p>“But if they blew the power source, where did they end up? Where are they?”</p>
<p>“We just don’t know. This planet is a vast forest, so overhead drones won’t help much, and the climate is tropical, meaning we can’t track Stinger’s body heat. If they ended up more than a few kilometers off course, I’m not sure how long it will take for us to find them.”</p>
<p>Naga felt nauseous. “I’m coming to the Orion. I need to be there.”</p>
<p>“Your doctor hasn’t cleared you to fly,” Raptor reminded him softly.</p>
<p>A tear rolled down his cheek. “I can’t do nothing!”</p>
<p>“Naga, both Stinger and Balance would want you to stay safe. They wouldn’t want you hurting yourself further in order to find them. They’re both smart and capable. And I’m calling in everyone. This planet will take weeks to comb through, and if they don’t have their blasters or Kyutama… and if they end up on the move… we’re going as fast as we can.”</p>
<p>Naga felt himself begin to sob. “I need updates.”</p>
<p>“I will send you updates as often as I can. Naga,” she said seriously. “There’s no evidence they’re dead. We will do our best to find them and get them home as quickly as possible.”</p>
<p>They said a few more things, but Naga had a roaring in his ears. He disconnected the call and felt himself gag. He barely got into the bathroom before he completely threw up his breakfast. He heaved a few more times into the toilet, before slumping against the rim, still crying. He knew, as a Kyuranger, that their missions had no guarantee. But they’d always come back. And he had no reason to think this mission would be any different. He hated being injured and sick and unable to help Stinger and Balance. He felt useless and nauseous and just wanted to sleep for the rest of eternity.</p>
<p>He stumbled into their bedroom and got in bed. He grabbed Stinger’s pillow, hugging the pillow close, inhaling Stinger’s scent. He wanted Stinger home. The sobs continued.</p>
<p>Eventually, he fell asleep.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>The sun had set when Naga woke up to someone shaking him awake. Disoriented, he blinked and focused on his parents. His dad put his hand against his forehead. “Papa?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Are you all right?” his father asked him.</p>
<p>He didn’t know how to put all his emotions into words, so he ended up just saying, “I threw up earlier.”</p>
<p>His mom looked sympathetic. “I’ll go get you some tea and some water.” She left the room.</p>
<p>His dad pushed his hair away from his forehead. “Did you eat any lunch?”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head.</p>
<p>“What’s going on, little snake?” his dad asked softly.</p>
<p><em>Little snake</em>. His parents’ nickname for him as a child that never quite went away as he got older. And they never used the nickname unless he was particularly upset. Haltingly, he told his father what Raptor had told him. His dad didn’t reply, just kept moving his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Naga,” he finally whispered. “What can we do to help?”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head against Stinger’s pillow. “I just want to be alone.”</p>
<p>“Okay. We can check on you in a little bit.”</p>
<p>His mom came back into the room, and put a cup of tea and a bottle of water on the nightstand. Right next to Stinger’s reading glasses. Naga buried his face into the pillow, not wanting to think about Stinger not coming home.</p>
<p>“Please try to drink something,” his dad encouraged him. “We can make something kind of bland for dinner. That might help your stomach.”</p>
<p>He nodded.</p>
<p>His parents left the room.</p>
<p>He began to cry again.</p>
<p>How was he supposed to go on without his lover and his best friend?</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Five weeks. Five weeks and the search and rescue teams had turned up nothing. At one point, they thought they found a place where someone had been camping, but those people had done a good job covering their tracks and the experts thought they were being tailed by someone, hence why they left, not staying in one place. Raptor felt hopeful, because the leave no trace style had a signature identical to how Stinger cleared a campsite. That meant the pair of them were still alive and moving. But no one had any idea what kind of resources they had or how much longer they could survive out there.</p>
<p>Naga’s stomach problems had not abated, so his parents finally convinced him to go see his doctor. His blood pressure had been bad, but he explained high-level the kind of stress happening in his life and the doctor understood. She listened sympathetically to his symptoms and decided to do some tests. The lab tech had been in to draw blood, and then wanted some other samples. He provided them and now waited for the results.</p>
<p>The doctor came into the room with her datapad.</p>
<p>“Okay, Naga,” she said briskly. “From what you were describing, I had some ideas, but the tests have confirmed. You’re not sick—you’re pregnant.”</p>
<p>Naga blinked. Stunned. “What?”</p>
<p>“You’re pregnant,” she repeated. “I want to do a scan too, but everything points to that.”</p>
<p>“How? I can’t be! I have the implant!”</p>
<p>“Your implant was turned off, because it interfered with some of your latest treatments. It’s been off for the last seven weeks. Your visit notes made that clear and we went over that.”</p>
<p>Naga’s mind raced. He left every appointment with so many notes and things to watch for, that he usually just read the synopsis from the doctor. He hadn’t read the last one, because everything seemed to be routine, familiar. How could he had missed something so important? And him and Stinger had…oh no… tears welled up.</p>
<p>The doctor asked gently, “Did you and your partner have sex that could result in conception?”</p>
<p>He nodded, trying to wipe away the tears, control himself in front of the doctor.</p>
<p>“Okay,” the doctor continued gently. “Let’s do the scan. We can talk about options.”</p>
<p>“Would my treatments have affected the baby?” he blurted.</p>
<p>“No. They should not have,” came the calm reply. “Lay back on the table. The scan will only take a few seconds.”</p>
<p>Naga complied and the doctor used her datapad to complete the scan quickly. She studied the scan for a few seconds and then projected the scan from the datapad. “You are definitely pregnant,” she pronounced, and then pointed out a few things about the scan, where the baby happened to be, how big the baby would be at this point. “You’re still early along, six weeks, I would guess.”</p>
<p>That was how long ago they had sex.</p>
<p>“We’ll need to monitor for a few more weeks to make sure everything is viable, but right now, everything appears to be healthy.” The doctor gave him a serious look. “I get the impression this was not planned. I can walk you through your options at this point.”</p>
<p>Naga’s mind raced again, thinking about Stinger out there, missing, no telling if he would come home or not. They hadn’t really talked about children, but Stinger seemed to have an affinity for kids, taking care of Kotaro. He’d make a great father. And now Naga had some <em>piece</em> of him, and he absolutely did not want to lose this baby. At all. He’d figure something out. He had to.</p>
<p>“I want to keep the baby,” he choked out. “What do I do to keep the baby?”</p>
<p>“Let me give you a list of vitamins, some recommended diet changes and a few physical restrictions. Mostly, you’ll want to just listen to your body, make sure you stay hydrated. Seems like your morning sickness has been pretty severe, so I’ll prescribe a mild anti-nausea medication. That should help you keep down food and water.”</p>
<p>He nodded, trying to listen carefully.</p>
<p>Outside the office, his phone dinged with drone alerts that his vitamins and medicine were on their way to the apartment, and that he had a copy of the scan available.</p>
<p>How was he going to tell his parents?</p>
<p>What was he going to do?</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>He’d meant to meet the drones, read through all the notes from his appointment, and figure out how he would break the news to his parents. In reality, he felt bone-tired, unable to keep his eyes open, and fell asleep holding Stinger’s pillow to his chest.</p>
<p>Someone knocked on the door and he slowly blinked awake. “Naga?’ came his father’s voice.</p>
<p>“I’m here,” he called back.</p>
<p>His dad opened the door. “A couple of drone packages showed up for you.”</p>
<p>“I’ll get them in a minute.”</p>
<p>“Looks like medicine,” his dad commented. “Are you okay? Did the doctor prescribe something new?”</p>
<p>Naga usually told his parents about his medical treatments and the kinds of medication that his doctors had him taking. The last few months, he’d slowly gone off the maintenance meds, getting to a point where he didn’t need regular prescriptions, just the final treatments. His doctor had said he’d be able to finish those out with no ill effects to the baby. He had an appointment in two weeks to check on the baby’s growth and administer the second-to-last treatment.</p>
<p>He forced himself to sit up and nodded.</p>
<p>He didn’t know why, but somehow he felt better telling his father first, rather than his mother. Maybe because his father had carried him and, even if he hadn’t been able to express emotions back then, his dad would understand what he was going through. More than anything, he felt scared. Stinger was still missing and, he wanted to have hope, but this had gone on too long. And now, he loved Stinger with all his being and was carrying his child and just… he wanted the baby, but couldn’t even think through where he would live or how he would do things on his own.</p>
<p>“Papa, can you hand me my datapad?” he asked softly.</p>
<p>His father grabbed the datapad from the desk and handed him the device. Naga motioned for his father to sit on the edge of the bed. His father complied, and Naga quickly tapped into his messages, bringing up the scan of the baby. He showed the scan to his father, who frowned, asking, “What am I looking at here, Naga?”</p>
<p>“I’m pregnant,” he replied softly.</p>
<p>His father looked from the scan to him, and back to the scan. “Oh, Naga,” his dad just said, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. Naga felt sobs begin to bubble up in the back of his throat. His father put the datapad down and wrapped both arms around him, hugging him properly. His father just rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back a little. “It’s going to be okay, little snake,” his dad whispered, soothing him a little.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what I’m going to do without Stinger,” he cried.</p>
<p>“Naga, listen to me. Your friends are out there, looking for him, and they’ll continue to look for him. They won’t give up. Stinger would want you to rest and be healthy, take care of yourself and the baby.” He paused. “You’re not alone. You know your mother and I will help you.”</p>
<p>“I’m scared.”</p>
<p>“I know. Pregnancy is scary. I was terrified when I got the confirmed results I was pregnant with you. I couldn’t express those emotions at all. But you can. It’s not fun, you’ll feel sick and you’ll hurt, but at the end, you’ll have your baby. I can’t explain really, I just knew when I held you for the first time that I wanted the world for you. I didn’t want you to grow up in the Ophiuchus System. I wanted you to have emotions and choices. And that’s what you have here, choices. I was so happy when you chose Stinger. He’s a good man and he loves you. And he will love the baby too.”</p>
<p>“We never talked about kids.”</p>
<p>“But I think you know how he’d feel.”</p>
<p>Naga exhaled, trying to quell his tears. “He seems to like kids. He always got along well with Kotaro and Jiro. I think he’d make a really good father.”</p>
<p>“I think he’ll be excited when he finds out.”</p>
<p>“You think so?”</p>
<p>“Yes. I do.”</p>
<p>His father pulled him into a hug, squeezing him for a moment.</p>
<p>After a long moment, his father released him, gently wiping away some tears. “What were the medicines?” he asked.</p>
<p>Naga continued wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Vitamins and some anti-nausea medicine. I meant to read the doctor’s notes, but I accidentally fell asleep.”</p>
<p>His father smiled. “Let’s go through the notes together.”</p>
<p>“I have to tell Mama too?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but she’ll want to help you too.” His dad stood up and gently helped him out of bed. Naga swayed a little, but corrected quickly. His dad’s hair had always been on the long side, ever since Naga could remember. He usually kept his hair neatly tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a t-shirt and a cardigan over some jeans, casual and comforting, like always. Naga had fallen asleep in his clothes, his shirt and pants wrinkled. He grabbed Stinger’s sweater and slipped on the garment.</p>
<p>They went into the kitchen. His mother had just finished cooking dinner, and telling her went quickly. Her reaction remained the same as his father’s. She hugged him and told him that they would do everything they could to help.</p>
<p>After dinner, they went through the doctor’s notes, making sure to read the instructions on the vitamins and medication. Naga felt overwhelmed by the information, but knew that his parents would pick up on the important items. He ached, missing Stinger terribly and wanting him here. He wanted Stinger to hold and tell him he loved him and the baby, and everything would be all right. He wanted Stinger to look at the scan and see their baby for the first time.</p>
<p>“I’ve never even held a baby before,” Naga whispered.</p>
<p>His mother smiled. “I know, little snake. But you know there’s classes you can take that will teach you how to take care of a baby.”</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>“Really,” his father confirmed. “We can look for some in a few weeks.” He smiled. “Besides, I’m thinking I want to take a cooking class or two. Learn how to cook more than eggs.”</p>
<p>Naga saw the gesture for what it was—his father acknowledging that lots of things were changing and they all needed to step up and learn new things. His father was not a terrible cook, just not a really good cook. He did most of the housework and had fussed at Naga for not changing the sheets on his bed recently. (But they still smelled like Stinger and he didn’t want to.)</p>
<p>He was glad he had the parents he did.</p>
<p>He just wished Stinger was here too.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Naga tried to hold back frustrated tears. His back hurt, he kept throwing up randomly, and now he couldn’t get this <em>stupid</em> paper for his class right. A tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another. He bit back a sob. He’d written lots of papers like this, for this class, and he couldn’t get the words to come out. A soft knock came on his door.</p>
<p>“Naga?” came his mother’s voice.</p>
<p>“Come in,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>She opened the door, peering in. He wore Stinger’s oversized sweater and ended up wiping his eyes on the sleeve a little bit. He didn’t want to wash the sweater, because the item still smelled like Stinger. Three months. He’d been missing with Balance for three months. “You doing okay, little snake?” she asked.</p>
<p>He shook his head. “My paper isn’t right.”</p>
<p>“Do you want me to look at it?” He nodded. She smiled and came into the room, taking his datapad with the paper pulled up. She gently tucked his hair behind his ear. “Your father made some tea and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you like.”</p>
<p>“I’m not hungry.”</p>
<p>“You hardly ate dinner. And the doctor said you need to eat.” She gently cupped his cheek. “Little snake, I know you’re miserable and you miss Stinger. That’s really stressful. And you know what your doctor said you about your stress levels.”</p>
<p>“I know,” he ground out.</p>
<p>“Come on,” she said, gently taking his hand and tugging him out of the desk chair. Naga reluctantly got up and allowed himself to be led into the kitchen. His father had taken a cooking class recently and learned to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which Naga really enjoyed. They reminded him a little bit of the chocolate chip cookies that Stinger made.</p>
<p>He sat down at the table. His father had a plate of cookies out and teacups, moving the teapot onto the table. His parents sat down at the table with him. His mother began to look over the paper, while he grabbed a cookie, taking a tiny bite. His father poured the tea.</p>
<p>“Naga,” his dad said after a moment. “We wanted to talk to you about something.”</p>
<p>Naga’s heart began to hammer in his chest, mind immediately going to the worst-case scenario, where they told him he would have to move out and take care of the baby on his own.</p>
<p>“Naga,” his mother added immediately, reaching out and squeezing his wrist. “Take a deep breath. We’re not going to tell you anything bad.”</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” he whispered.</p>
<p>“Well,” his mom started. “We’ve been saving up for a while now, and talked about buying a house in the neighborhood that’s being restored. Many of the houses have been completely renovated and the price is very reasonable, with move-in discounts. We found a floor plan we liked on a plot that we also really liked.” She smiled, pushing her chin-length hair behind her ear. “The two-bedroom apartment was small for the three of us, and definitely small when you and Stinger came home. The house would be a lot bigger, give everyone plenty of space and privacy. Plus more room for the baby.”</p>
<p>So many thoughts crashed through Naga’s mind at once that he just started to cry.</p>
<p>His parents frowned, his father saying, “Naga, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“What if Stinger can’t find us?”</p>
<p>“Little snake,” his mother asked gently. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“If he comes home and comes here, we won’t be here!”</p>
<p>Naga knew his statement to be objectively ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop worrying about Stinger and wanting him home. Three months and every time Rebellion thought they had a trail on them again, the trail went cold. What had happened? Who was chasing them?</p>
<p>“Naga,” his father replied. “If Stinger finds communication on his own, he’ll contact Rebellion. And if Rebellion finds him, they’ll contact you. He won’t stumble home somehow.”</p>
<p>“I know,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“Then why are you upset?”</p>
<p>“I don’t want to put Stinger’s things away!” he cried.</p>
<p>“Naga, little snake,” his dad soothed him. “You won’t have to put Stinger’s things away. We’ll pack them and put them out in the house, all ready for him.”</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>“Really,” his mother confirmed. “Do you want to see the floor plan?”</p>
<p>He nodded. His father woke up his own datapad and showed Naga the house. Two floors, a master bedroom with private bathroom on the first floor. Giant living room with windows, getting lots of sunlight. And four bedrooms upstairs. One of which had a private bathroom, like a second master bedroom, and the other three shared a nearby hallway bathroom.</p>
<p>“The garage also had a furnished apartment above it,” his mother added.</p>
<p>“It’s big,” he commented faintly. “What if I can’t hear you? Or you can’t hear me?”</p>
<p>“It’s not that big,” his father reassured him. “We’ll hear if you call out.”</p>
<p>“Also,” his mother continued. “We talked about a lot of things. We’re gone most of the day at the business, and you’re going to need more help as things go along. Your dad is going to scale back the amount of time he spends at the store, work remotely on some things, so he can be around if you need him.”</p>
<p>“Mama—”</p>
<p>She held up a hand, stopping his protest. “I remember when your father was pregnant with you. He had morning sickness and pretty bad back pain throughout. He needed my help, and we want to make sure you have the help you need.”</p>
<p>“I want Stinger to help me,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“We know, little snake,” his father reassured him. “We wish Stinger were here too. But until he gets home, you need to be taken care of. We want to do that for you.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” he whispered, not sure why he felt overwhelmed by this.</p>
<p>His mother handed him his datapad. “Your paper is good, Naga,” she added. “Just finish up the end paragraph and submit.”</p>
<p>“Then you need to get to bed,” his father added. “Do you want a hot compress for your back?”</p>
<p>Naga nodded, taking his datapad and slowly going back into his room.</p>
<p>He loved his parents, he really did.</p>
<p>But he couldn’t stop himself from just wanting Stinger.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Another month went by. They moved into the new house fairly quickly. Going from a two-bedroom apartment to a large house meant they didn’t actually have enough furnishings for the whole place, so unpacking and getting settled had turned into a work in progress. They had enough rooms set up to live in, so they would be comfortable enough.</p>
<p>Naga checked in with Raptor every day, sometimes multiple times a day. No news. The only development came from a separate trail they kept finding that seemed to cross paths with the one they suspected to belong to Stinger and Balance.</p>
<p>He sighed as his alarm went off and reached out to dismiss the alarm. Of everything in the four months since Stinger had been missing, he found he didn’t like sleeping alone. They’d been together more than two years. He had grown used to Stinger’s body heat and noises throughout the night. He missed having someone to snuggle against, who would hold him. His father had not been exaggerating about pregnancy being terrible. He seemed to wake up with a raging headache more often than not, felt ill frequently in spite of the anti-nausea medication, and his back hurt constantly. He wasn’t showing yet—his dad said that males of their species didn’t really start to show a lot until the fifth or sixth month, and since this was Naga’s first pregnancy, nothing like the baby bumps from Earth females. Unfortunately, they did spend the pregnancy in more pain.</p>
<p>Stinger’s reading glasses remained on the nightstand, where Stinger always left them. Stinger’s sweater stayed over the back of the chair unless Naga wore the garment. He had Stinger’s clothes in the dresser and closet, where they belonged. A quilt and an afghan that Stinger had made covered the bed. Naga tended to sleep with Stinger’s pillow hugged close. He had a star plush that Stinger had made for him when he started treatment two years ago against his back. Larger than normal, the plush had a pocket for Naga to put a heating pad. He’d been using the heating pad almost every night, trying to get a little relief from the back pain.</p>
<p>And now… his hand automatically went to his abdomen. The baby had just started kicking. Nothing much, just little flutters, but letting Naga know how real this was. He didn’t know if the baby would be a boy or a girl, and the doctor wanted to run some tests as the baby grew a little more, but her preliminary findings said that Naga’s and Stinger’s species were compatible and they should expect a healthy baby. But the gender… he didn’t want to know the baby’s gender until Stinger came home. He wanted them to find out together. For a moment, he thought his parents would be disappointed he didn’t want to find out, but they just told him that would be his choice and added neutral baby clothes to the registry that Naga hadn’t want to make.</p>
<p>Hammie had moved to Earth to take a student teacher internship and wanted to get coffee after school ended. And Naga just didn’t see how he would manage, especially since he’d just woken up and felt like he’d been run over.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Little snake, you need to see your friends.”</em>
</p>
<p>He tried to push away his mother’s voice. His friends knew he missed his boyfriend and his best friend terribly, and no one had asked, but everyone seemed to assume the baby hadn’t been planned. But the baby had turned into a giant elephant in the room. No one brought up the baby unless Naga did first and he was tired of walking on eggshells around them.</p>
<p>A knock on the door.</p>
<p>“Naga?” his mother called.</p>
<p>“I’m awake,” he mumbled back.</p>
<p>“Breakfast is ready,” she told him.</p>
<p>“Not hungry,” he told her and then buried his face in Stinger’s pillow.</p>
<p>The door opened and his mother came into the room. She sat down on the edge of the bed, gently running her fingers through his hair. “Do you not feel well this morning?” she asked gently.</p>
<p>“I don’t feel well every morning.”</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“My head hurts and my back hurts.”</p>
<p>“Have you taken any of your pain medication yet?” He shook his head. She continued smoothing down his hair. “You need to eat in order to take that medicine,” she reminded him. “We’ve got some plain toast and I can make you some plain oatmeal too. Just enough that you can take your meds and go back to bed.”</p>
<p>He shook his head again against the pillow. His head pounded viciously, and he felt like he’d throw up if he tried to sit up, let alone go downstairs to eat.</p>
<p>“Okay,” she soothed. “I can bring you some food and the meds.” He felt her reach for his star plush. “I’ll heat up the pad for you too.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Mama,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>She leaned down and kissed his temple. He then heard her get up and leave the room. He tried to stop the tears that threatened to come. All he seemed to do the last few months was either cry or be in terrible pain. His last doctor’s appointment had been two days ago, and she’d been really pleased with this overall test results and the scan of the baby. She’d even consulted an expert originally from the Ophiuchus System and said that his symptoms were completely normal for his species, along with prescribing him the pain medication. He’d started crying in the doctor’s office and couldn’t exactly explain why, just a deep sense of longing and dread. Crying would only make his head hurt worse and yet, he couldn’t stop himself.</p>
<p>“Naga?” the door opened slowly. “Your mom says you’re not feeling well? I brought you some plain toast and your pain meds. And some tea.” He heard his father come in the room and set some things down on the nightstand. He pressed his hand against his forehead. “How bad is it?” he asked softly. “Should I take you to the doctor?”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head, but then felt burning at the back of his throat. He weakly pushed the covers aside and tried to stand up. His dad caught him and steadied him, helping him get out of bed and dash into the bathroom, just in time to empty the contents of his stomach in the toilet. Once everything came up, he dry heaved a few more times, before sliding to the floor, curling up and crying. His father just got a damp washcloth and got down on the floor with him, gently wiping his mouth and then folding the cold cloth again to press against his forehead.</p>
<p>“You feel a little warm, Naga,” his dad said. “I think I should take you to the clinic.”</p>
<p>“No,” he protested. “I’ll try to eat a little and take the meds.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “I don’t want to go to the clinic. I hate it there.”</p>
<p>“I could call your doctor and see if she can squeeze you in today.”</p>
<p>Naga knew that would be better than the emergency clinic. The staff at the clinic were better equipped to deal with people originally from Earth and often didn’t know how to treat other species. The clinic happened to be closest, so Naga knew that was why his dad suggested the place. If worse came to worse, Naga knew he’d insist on going to the hospital. And trying to get in to see his doctor would always be better.</p>
<p>“I’ll try to eat first,” he repeated.</p>
<p>“Okay,” his father relented. “Let me help you get back to bed.”</p>
<p>He allowed his father to help him sit up. For a moment, he thought he might be sick again, but after a moment, the wave of dizziness passed. They went back into the bedroom and Naga sat down on the bed, not lying down this time. His father sat next to him, handing him the plate of toast. Naga picked up the bread, nibbling at the corner, watching as his father grabbed his star plush and took care of putting the freshly heated pad back inside.</p>
<p>His dad looked at the plush for a long moment, before settling the item against Naga’s back. “Stinger really is talented,” he commented.</p>
<p>“He is,” Naga agreed.</p>
<p>“No word from Raptor today yet?” Naga shook his head. “She’ll call soon.”</p>
<p>In the end, Naga managed to eat half the slice of toast. His dad deemed that enough and let him take a dosage of pain medication. Naga then finished drinking his tea and got back under the covers, the star plush arranged against his back.</p>
<p>“I’ll come check on you in a little bit,” his dad reassured him.</p>
<p>Naga nodded, closing his eyes. He heard his dad leave the room and could hear him talking to his mom out in the hallway.</p>
<p>“Is he all right?” his mother asked.</p>
<p>“He’s having a rough morning. I’ll check on him in half an hour.”</p>
<p>“Maybe I shouldn’t go to work if he feels this bad.”</p>
<p>“He managed to eat a little, take his meds and have all his tea. Once the meds kick in, I think he’ll feel a lot better. And you know I will call you immediately if I have to take him to the doctor or the hospital.”</p>
<p>“I know. I just hate to leave him.”</p>
<p>“That’s why I’m here, remember? Go to work. I’ve got him.”</p>
<p>They started walking down the hallway and their voices got muffled. Naga exhaled, a piece of him glad his parents cared so much about him.</p>
<p>He jerked awake a few hours later. Almost lunch time. His headache had gone away significantly and his back felt better—not great, just better. Slowly, he got out of bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen. His father stood at the stove, heating up some soup.</p>
<p>“Hey, Naga,” he greeted. “You want anything to go with soup?”</p>
<p>He edged into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “Do we have any turkey?”</p>
<p>“You want a turkey sandwich?” He nodded. “Toasted?” Another nod.</p>
<p>Naga moved to stand up. “I can make it. You don’t have to—”</p>
<p>“Naga,” his father interrupted him. “Sit down, please. You were really sick this morning. I almost took you to the hospital. Please rest and I’ll get your food.”</p>
<p>“Papa?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Naga?”</p>
<p>“You and Mama don’t have to drop everything to take care of me.”</p>
<p>“Naga,” his father said firmly. “You are our son. You are the reason we left the Ophiuchus System. I know you want to be doing this under different circumstances and I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. But just… let us help you. We want to help you. Even when Stinger gets home, we’ll be here for both of you.”</p>
<p>“You think he’s still out there?”</p>
<p>“Yes. I do.”</p>
<p>His father’s confidence gave him a tiny bit of hope. They ate lunch in a comfortable silence and afterwards, Naga still felt tired, but didn’t want to go back to bed. So his dad found a Circuit movie to watch and Naga ended up dozing on his side on the couch. He still felt sleepy and comfortable when his mother got home later in the afternoon. She came over to the sofa and gently kissed his temple. Then she went into the kitchen where his dad was working on dinner.</p>
<p>“He seems to be doing better.”</p>
<p>“He is. Got his meds and some food. And he’s not running a fever.”</p>
<p>“Good. I see you finished all the payroll work today.”</p>
<p>“And the inventory tallies. We should be good for month-end.”</p>
<p>His mother sighed. “I underestimated how much work Stinger did for us. He still worked full-time for Rebellion and did the work of a full-time employee.”</p>
<p>His dad laughed a little. “Stinger doesn’t know how to not work hard.”</p>
<p>“I really miss him,” his mom continued. “I hope he’s okay out there.”</p>
<p>“I think he is, and I think he’s fighting to get home every day.”</p>
<p>Naga hoped so too.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Stinger leaned back against the three. Five months. Five <em>godsforsaken months</em> on this stupid, backwater planet that Jark Matter had turned into a stronghold. Their initial mission had been easy. The others caused a distraction while they used a Southern Cross ship and slipped into the shield. They then abandoned the ship and went on foot into the woods (to avoid detection from drones and heat-seeking surveillance) to blow the main power supply. They had the explosives. Balance rigged the charges to go off after they got sufficiently far away. Retreat into the woods again and meet Raptor at the rendezvous point.</p>
<p>Except the rendezvous point never happened.</p>
<p>What none of their intelligence told them was that bands of marauders still roamed the woods. No one picked up on them because of the tropical climate and the dense forest. From what Stinger could gather, Jark Matter only really went into the forest to get resources. They’d gone through the forest to get to the grid’s power supply, but Jark Matter had open roads getting them there. Jark Matter had enough fire power to keep the marauders in the woods. Stinger and Balance? Not so much.</p>
<p>The first night after blowing the power supply, they headed towards the rendezvous point, but stumbled across a band of marauders instead. This crowd wore red scarves and kept threatening to eat one another for not obeying. Stinger couldn’t be sure if they actually were cannibals or not, but he wouldn’t put anything past people eking out an existence in the oppressive forests here. They clearly wanted Balance for parts and figured Stinger would be less of an annoyance dead. They barely got away with their lives and had been damned lucky to still have Stinger’s pack with some food and survival supplies. Unfortunately, Raptor pinned all the communications on their Seiza Blasters and those got damaged beyond recognition during the fight. Even the casing on their Kyutamas got severely damaged. While their Kyutamas still protected them and healed them, they couldn’t quite communicate with other Kyutamas and they had to constantly stay on the move, so Balance had a hard time finding time to just tinker with what was left of the blasters.</p>
<p>And <em>gods</em>, Balance annoyed him.</p>
<p>“Would you drink more water?”</p>
<p>Speaking of Balance. Stinger gave him a withering look and raised the canteen to his lips. He’d hung on to the canteen with a water filter and his straw with a filter, both of which ensured any water he drank would be safe for an organic. He’d thought bringing enough protein blocks for four months to be overkill, but now, he realized the reason. He had stretched the protein blocks out more than he should have and had been supplementing with small fish and animals he caught and cooked. But the protein blocks would run out soon.</p>
<p>And these stupid forests had no technological infrastructure for Balance to plug into.</p>
<p>“If you die of dehydration, Naga will be pissed,” Balance commented.</p>
<p>Their latest camp sat on the bank of a creek. They’d thrown off the marauders yesterday and, if they got lucky, Stinger figured they had another day here before they’d need to move on. Stinger leaned against a tree. Everything hurt. He constantly felt tired, but couldn’t really sleep. Constant vigilance. Balance looked far less shiny, downright rusty in a few places and sometimes sparked out of his joints. He needed maintenance oil and that had run out two weeks ago. Balance sat on the bank by a large rock, toolkit out, tinkering with the blaster.</p>
<p>Every few weeks they managed to go back to the rendezvous site, trying to leave Raptor a message. But felt like every time they got there, some marauder band found them and they had to leave again quickly.</p>
<p>“Naga’s going to be pissed anyways,” Stinger muttered.</p>
<p>“If you stay alive, he won’t be. He’ll just be relieved,” Balance pointed out.</p>
<p>“We’ve been gone for <em>five months</em>!”</p>
<p>“And?”</p>
<p>“It’s been too long.”</p>
<p>“So what? Raptor left us for dead? Naga moved on?”</p>
<p>Stinger tamped down the flash of annoyance. “I don’t know,” he grumbled.</p>
<p>“We keep seeing signs Rebellion is out there,” Balance replied reasonably. “And you know they aren’t leaving us communication gear because the marauders would steal it and the last thing they need is crazy people listening in on their conversations.”</p>
<p>Stinger knew the explanation to be true, but didn’t have to like said explanation.</p>
<p>“And I don’t know how to tell you this, but Naga is madly in love with you. He’s waiting for you right now and will be nothing but relieved to see you.”</p>
<p>“Naga can do way better than me.”</p>
<p>“Oh shut-up,” Balance shot back without ire. “Sure, Naga can do way better than you. You can do way better than Naga. Who cares? What matters is you two love each other. Naga’s not giving up on you. Not now. Not after everything.”</p>
<p>Stinger gave Balance a level look. “What does that mean?”</p>
<p>“Look, after your brother died, Naga wanted to help you, but didn’t know how. He felt bad, because he knew how sad he’d be if he lost one of his parents. He just never really dealt with family member death before. Death, sure. But family? Not so much.” Balance shrugged. “And after he got back from Akyanba, he’s in the infirmary, in pain, with Raptor trying to treat him, and he’s asking me if I think you’ll want to go out with him. Like… Naga, concentrate on not dying and getting better before you start worrying about finding a boyfriend!” Balance paused and tossed, “but you said yes like I told him you would.”</p>
<p>Naga had told Stinger the story of how he and Balance met before. Naga had graduated from high school, started taking some university classes, slowly working towards a degree. He worked part-time, just slowly getting out there into the world. Balance, in spite of being three hundred years old, traveled to Earth for a student exchange program. Apparently people from the Tenbin System went back to school every fifty or so years, learning a new skill set, trade or academic study. Balance had done mechanical engineering, cosmetology (the Tenbin version), intergalactic law, acting, interior design and, now, business. He decided on a program on Earth and ended up in the same classes as Naga. Balance also had a side gig where he traveled to nearby systems and robbed Jark Matter just to piss them off. And Naga’s family leaving the Ophiuchus System and finding a place to give them refugee status had been severely hampered by Jark Matter, so Naga had been happy to help him. (After some convincing and swearing Stinger to never tell his parents. Although Stinger suspected his parents already knew.) That led to the pair of them being in the Ite System, finding their Kyutamas and becoming Kyurangers.</p>
<p>Balance acted like he didn’t have a care in the world, said and did flippant and nonsense things and didn’t seem serious about anything. That front ticked off Stinger. Because he knew that Balance happened to be a very talented engineer and knew intricacies of intergalactic law that no organic could ever hope to retain. Naga very much believed the act had to do with Balance’s age—he had grown too old to take anything seriously, had literally seen empires rise and fall. And his life went on. So he wasn’t worried about too much. Except getting rid of Jark Matter so his best organic buddy, Naga, would be able to live in peace and have a family if he wanted.</p>
<p>“Let me put this to you in a way you’ll understand—Naga has always liked your dumbass. No idea why. First, I thought it was because he thought you’re hot or something. Then I was like, maybe you’re good in bed. Then I realized, it’s because you actually listen to him. You figure him out. I knew him two and a half <em>years</em> before I could say with certainty what kind of tea he liked. You knew in three days.” Balance gestured vaguely. “And then he started telling me things about you that meant he also figured your ass out. You really never had a Twinkie before being on the Orion?”</p>
<p>“Shut-up,” Stinger echoed weakly and with no real defensiveness.</p>
<p>“What I’m trying to tell you is have more faith in Naga.” Balance went back to the blaster, but then casually tossed out, “Just keep in mind, I am the best man in your wedding and godfather to all your children. You are never getting rid of me!”</p>
<p>“I know we’re never getting rid of you,” Stinger replied. And he knew that. Balance might get under his skin, but he really was Naga’s best friend and Naga loved him. He wanted the best for Naga and Stinger couldn’t stay annoyed with someone who genuinely wanted to support Naga. “We haven’t talk about children yet,” he added.</p>
<p>Balance made a rude noise. “You’re weird. You probably want like six kids.”</p>
<p>“No,” he corrected. “Two at the most.”</p>
<p>“Ah, you don’t want to be outnumbered! Smart! My parents had seven of us and we outnumbered them so badly. So badly. Trust me, you don’t want that.”</p>
<p>Stinger had never asked Balance this before, but now he was curious. “You ever think of having kids?” he asked sincerely.</p>
<p>Another rude noise. “Me? Please? I am literally a giant child. I can’t take care of a child of my own.” He shook his head. “No, I will leave the children having up to you and Naga, and then I can be the cool godfather and buy the kid all kinds of presents and pump them full of sugar and then bring them home to you!”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Stinger responded dryly.</p>
<p>“Just another free service I offer.”</p>
<p>They fell into a comfortable silence as Balance continued working. He had gathered as many functioning parts as possible from the blasters and, as Stinger understood it, was trying to cobble together something that would send a signal out. So Raptor could trace them. Unfortunately, the parts didn’t give Balance many options. And while Champ or Raptor may have been able to use parts from their bodies to supplement, Balance couldn’t. Mechanical lifeform, not an android. No parts to spare.</p>
<p>After a while, Balance finally said, “Okay. This should work. Blasters are solar powered and at least we get plenty of sunlight around here. The signal is faint and we have to keep moving, but if we try to slow down when we can, Raptor might be able to get a lock on us and our path.”</p>
<p>“How long do you think it will take her?”</p>
<p>“Raptor’s good, but this is extremely low. Probably a few more weeks.”</p>
<p>Stinger sighed, slowly pushing himself to his feet. He walked over to Balance and opened the pack, now by Balance’s feet. He extracted the net he’d been using to catch some small fish. “Need more fish until then,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“Need me to power that tiny portable hot plate you have?”</p>
<p>“Let me actually see if I can catch some fish first.” He stripped off his socks and boots, shoving them into the pack. (Everything always went in the pack. If they had to leave in a hurry, they couldn’t afford to lose anything they had with them.) He waded into the water with the net, crouching down and trying to stay still enough to attract some fish.</p>
<p>“Hey Stinger?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“When you and Naga get married, will you have like a big dance party? Or just one of those all you can eat buffets where you organics just eat yourselves silly?”</p>
<p>“Dancing isn’t really our thing.”</p>
<p>“Cool, lots of food it is. Will you have smoothies for me? I like smoothies.”</p>
<p>Balance didn’t eat anything, but did drink. And he’d been drinking water since they were out here—unfiltered because his body had a built in filtration system. But the mechanical lifeform did enjoy smoothies and making them. And had more than one mishap with a blender where he forgot to put the lid on the blender before pushing start.</p>
<p>“Yes, we will have smoothies for you.”</p>
<p>“Agepoyo way!”</p>
<p>Stinger hoped Raptor could lock on to their signal fast. He wanted to go home more than ever. And once there, he wasn’t leaving again.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Naga curled up in the corner of the couch as best he could, trying to balance his datapad on the arm of the couch and not resting on his chest or stomach. He’d learned the fastest way to make the baby start kicking <em>a lot</em> was to rest something on his stomach. His dad had smiled when Naga brought that up and simply said, <em>How would you like it if someone rested a datapad on your head?</em> Fair enough, he supposed. He hadn’t wanted to continue going to the parenting class—pregnant males were still something new on Earth, so Naga was the only pregnant male there. He got a lot of curious stares. Sure, people knew species existed where the males carried the babies, but most people hadn’t had much exposure to them yet. And now that he’d hit six months, he definitely looked pregnant. No disguising things with looser tops or sweaters. But his dad talked him into finishing the classes and then reading a few books.</p>
<p>Which he attempted to do currently, if he could ever get comfortable enough to concentrate. His back hurt, the baby kicked him, a headache threatened to creep in, and he hadn’t really felt like eating much dinner. While other species got specific food cravings and tended to eat more, his dad said that him not feeling hungry and having to work hard to keep up with the nutrient and calorie requirements was fairly typical for their species.</p>
<p>He looked up as his dad came into the living room.</p>
<p>“The cobbler is out of the oven, so you can try to eat some of that in a bit,” he offered, and then sat down next to Naga, pressing a hand to his forehead. “How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“Awful,” Naga muttered. “Can the baby just hurry up and get here?”</p>
<p>His dad smiled. “No, the baby needs time to grow enough.”</p>
<p>Naga had talked to Raptor that morning and she’d said they were trying some new tracking methods, and she would keep him posted. Every day she reassured him that she had no reason to believe that Stinger and Balance had died. But every day that passed, Naga felt a little more hopeless, a little more exhausted. He did not want to have this baby without Stinger, had no idea how he’d manage, even with his parents’ help. The latest scans showed the baby had a scorpion tail, just like Stinger. He would have a reminder every day in their baby.</p>
<p>He sighed. “I’m tired.”</p>
<p>His dad wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a quick hug. “Why don’t you go lay down for a little bit?”</p>
<p>“I feel like all I do is sleep.”</p>
<p>“I know, but I’m glad you have that option.” His dad rubbed his shoulder. “When I was carrying you, I was expected to maintain a normal work day and life right up until I gave birth to you.”</p>
<p>Naga frowned. “How? You were in as much pain as I am!”</p>
<p>“I don’t know how I did it now. Not being able to express feelings can make hiding things easier, I guess. And giving birth to you was awful, and I knew I couldn’t cry out, because they’d arrest me or worse.” He shook his head. “But I got through it. For you. And you’ll get through this for your baby.”</p>
<p>Naga rested a hand on his stomach, laying his head on his father’s shoulder. “What did it feel like?” he asked softly.</p>
<p>“What did what feel like?”</p>
<p>“Having me.”</p>
<p>His father kept rubbing his shoulder. “Not great,” he replied after a long pause. “Labor signs can start days before you actually give birth. I started getting contractions three days before going into active labor with you.”</p>
<p>“What’s that feel like?”</p>
<p>“Kind of like a dull ache in your back and lower abdomen, with pressure on your pelvis. And it goes in a wave from top to bottom.”</p>
<p>Naga exhaled forcefully. “I already have aches in my back and abdomen. I won’t be able to tell when I’m in labor.”</p>
<p>His father huffed a short laugh. “Trust me, these will be different. You’ll know.” He paused and added, “The closer you get, the more your doctor will want to see you. Once your water breaks, you’ll be in active labor and that’s when we’ll go to the hospital.”</p>
<p>“To the birthing suites that we toured.”</p>
<p>“Yes, you seemed to like those the best.”</p>
<p>Naga hated all the doctor’s appointments and the further along he got, the more invasive the appointments seemed to become. He hated being in the room with his doctor and one nurse staring at <em>things</em>, and couldn’t imagine all the people in and out of the room at the hospital. “Why can’t I have the baby at home?” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“Naga,” his dad replied gently. “We’ve been over this. Your mother and I aren’t doctors, and Stinger definitely isn’t a doctor. The hospital will be the best place on the off-chance something goes wrong. The rooms are private, and you’ve met your delivery doctor and nurse. They’ll be the only ones in and out of the room, along with people you choose.”</p>
<p>“You and Mama will be there, right?”</p>
<p>“Of course we’ll be there!”</p>
<p>“I’m scared,” Naga whispered. “What if I don’t love my baby?”</p>
<p>His father gave him an appraising look. “Little snake, I know you’re in pain and you miss Stinger and it’s hard to concentrate on anything. The reason you’re so worried and scared right now is because you don’t want to hurt the baby, and being that concerned about someone else… that usually means you love them as great deal.”</p>
<p>“It does?”</p>
<p>“In my experience, yes.”</p>
<p>Naga’s phone rang. He wiped away a tear threatening to fall and picked up his phone. Being so worried about the baby meant he loved the baby, huh? He hadn’t thought about things that way before, but the feelings made sense. He looked at the caller and frowned. <em>Raptor</em>.</p>
<p>He answered the call as his hands began to shake. “Hello?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Naga!” Raptor gasped. “We found them!”</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Naga’s hands shook as he paced the waiting room, anxious for when Stinger would be settled into his room and Balance would be cleared to come see him. (Being mechanical, Balance sustained far less trauma from their extended stay in the woods, and really needed additional oil and some diagnostics, fluids and rest. Stinger had some old injuries from fights that hadn’t healed quite right, and had been surviving on fish and small animal he could catch, meaning he’d lost weight and needed additional nutrition and calories for a while.)</p>
<p>His parents had wanted to come with him, but he’d told them to stay home for now. He wanted to do this on his own. He’d call them in the morning to come see Stinger. His father had packed a tote bag for him, including clothing for Stinger, food for both of them, Naga’s plush with heat pad and an extra blanket.</p>
<p>A nurse came down the hall. “Naga Ray?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Here!” he replied immediately, stumbling a little to grab the tote bag.</p>
<p>“Stinger is here and he’s stable. Should be awake soon. Let me take you to the room.” She looked at Naga for a second too long and the bag. “Do you want me to carry that?” she asked kindly.</p>
<p>He clutched the handles a little tighter. “No, I’ve got it,” he assured her. The bag did not weigh much, his father had made sure.</p>
<p>She nodded and led him down the hallway to a private room. A Rebellion officer stationed outside nodded at Naga as they entered the room.</p>
<p>The lights were dim in the room. Naga rushed in, dropping the tote bag on the floor next to the bed. <em>Stinger</em>. He had definitely lost some weight, and seemed pale, some bruising on his face and arms, and his left wrist and right ankle were both in splints. He had an intravenous drip hooked up. Naga reached out, gently pushing his hair away from his face, hard lump in the back of his throat.</p>
<p>The nurse gently pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and said gently, “Please sit.” Naga did as she asked, but immediately reached out for Stinger again. “The doctor said he needs additional calorie and nutrient infusions for a while, to help him gain back some weight. He also had injuries to his wrist and ankle that didn’t heal correctly, and that’s why the casts until those set properly. The other big concern is his back—he pulled some muscles badly, basically threw out his back at some point. He will recover from that with some physical therapy, and the doctor will prescribe a mild as-needed painkiller.” She paused and added, “He’s going to be fine.”</p>
<p>Naga nodded, a sob breaking loose and tear falling down his cheek. “What about my friend, Balance? Is he here?”</p>
<p>“He’s just finishing up some diagnostics. He’s fine. I’ll bring him here when he’s done, maybe in thirty minutes or so.”</p>
<p>He nodded, more tears falling. The nurse gently squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone. Hit the call button on the nightstand if you need anything.” And she quietly left the room.</p>
<p>Naga turned fully to face Stinger. He couldn’t describe the enormity of his relief, how much he just felt <em>happy</em> that Stinger would be all right. He could touch him again, feel him again. He wanted Stinger to hug him so badly and tell him that everything would be fine. He gently ran his fingers through Stinger’s hair again.</p>
<p>“Stinger,” he started softly, wiping away the tears. “I just… I don’t even know where to start. I missed you so much and I wanted to come look for you myself, but first the doctors wouldn’t let me fly anywhere and Raptor said to stay put, but then I found out…” He took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant. It happened that last night we were together before you went on the mission. It’s a long story but my implant had been turned off and I didn’t know. And the doctor says the baby is healthy and has a scorpion tail, just like you. I haven’t found out if the baby is a boy or a girl because I wanted you to be here, and now you are here and we can find out.” He paused, trying not to sob. “I hope you’re okay with this. I hope you’re happy. I don’t know what I’m going to do if you’re not.”</p>
<p>Naga pulled the chair a little closer to the bed, ignoring the ache in his back.</p>
<p>“I’m going to be right here. I’m not leaving again.”</p>
<p>He started to cry in earnest, hanging on to Stinger’s arm, face pressed to the edge of the bed, ignoring how much that position felt uncomfortable. He just… Stinger was home. And he didn’t ever want to let him go again.</p>
<p>He was not sure how much time passed, before he heard, “Naga?”</p>
<p>He raised his head, struggling only a little to sit up. “Hey Stinger,” he replied.</p>
<p>Stinger looked exhausted, but raised a hand, gently cupping Naga’s face. “Come here,” he whispered. Naga leaned closer, and Stinger raised his head enough to capture his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Naga wanted to melt against him while crying more. He’d <em>missed </em>kisses like this. Kisses, in general. Someone touching him intimately. He hoped Stinger would want to have sex, even after finding out about the baby.</p>
<p>After he ended the kiss, Stinger said dryly, “I never want to be stuck in the woods that long again.”</p>
<p>Naga sat back, smiling. “Good. I don’t want you to go anywhere ever again.”</p>
<p>“Well that’s good, because I’m not leaving. I’m resigning from Rebellion. I’m done with the whole stupid thing.” Stinger sighed. “I want to be selfish for once, because I just want to stay with you. Find a job, focus on our future.”</p>
<p>Stinger turned his head to the side, reaching and out taking Naga’s hand. He frowned, focus going directly to Naga’s stomach.</p>
<p>“Wait,” he said hoarsely. “You’re—”</p>
<p>“Pregnant,” Naga whispered. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“When?”</p>
<p>“The last night before you left.”</p>
<p>“I thought your implant—”</p>
<p>“I found out it had been turned off because of other treatments and I missed it.” Naga’s free hand went to his stomach, suddenly feeling vulnerable and scared. “Is this… okay?”</p>
<p>Stinger blinked and then smiled. “Of course it’s okay, Naga! Gods, I know we didn’t really talk much about it, because I wanted to get married first, but this is fine.” He released Naga’s hand and reached out, and Naga gently guided his hand to his stomach. As if on cue, the baby began to kick. Stinger’s smile grew and his eyes looked watery.</p>
<p>“That’s our baby,” Naga whispered.</p>
<p>“Stop kicking your papa this much,” Stinger told the baby. He looked up at Naga, grinning. “Is it a boy or a girl?”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head. “I haven’t found out yet. I wanted you here when we found out.” He smiled. “Do you have a preference?”</p>
<p>“No. None at all. I know you’ve been taking good care of our baby.” Stinger paused for a moment. “Six months, huh? That doesn’t give me much time to make a traditional Scorpius baby blanket and those are fussy.”</p>
<p>“The baby will be fine with anything.”</p>
<p>“I know, but I want our baby to have some traditional things.”</p>
<p>Naga covered Stinger’s hand on his abdomen with this own. “Stinger?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Naga?”</p>
<p>“Is this really okay?”</p>
<p>“Naga, I want to marry you. I want our baby. I want to be here forever.” He exhaled a little bit. “I’m not going anywhere again. I want my family.”</p>
<p>Naga nodded, holding his hand a little tighter. “When do you want to get married?” he asked.</p>
<p>Stinger smiled. “Call me old-fashioned, but I’d like to get married before the baby is born, but” he pushed out a breath. “That might not be possible, so let’s just play it by ear.”</p>
<p>“We could get married in the backyard,” Naga suggested. “Isn’t Garu an ordained minister now?”</p>
<p>“Backyard?”</p>
<p>“I forgot to tell you. We moved into a house. There’s a nice big backyard.”</p>
<p>A voice interrupted with, “It’s actually Lucky that’s the ordained minister, and when did you guys move into a house, and can I move in too?”</p>
<p>Naga turned, relief breaking out. “Balance,” he greeted.</p>
<p>Balance sauntered into the room, looking no worse for the wear. Naga struggled to stand up and Balance’s eyes got a little brighter. “Naga, whoa buddy, just stay sitting down.” He motioned to Stinger and quipped, “I assume you did that?”</p>
<p>Stinger rolled his eyes, but smiled. Balance leaned down and gave Naga a hug. Naga returned the embrace, glad to have his friend back. “Yes, you can stay with us for a while,” Naga told Balance. “There’s a finished apartment over the garage.”</p>
<p>“How long are you planning on staying?” Stinger asked Balance.</p>
<p>“Excuse you,” Balance teased. “I was only stranded in the woods with you for six months! We’re definitely close friends now and you would never dream of kicking me out!”</p>
<p>Naga smiled, going to hold Stinger’s hand again.</p>
<p>This felt like <em>home</em>.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>Naga yawned as he put on some water to boil for tea. Two weeks since Stinger got home. He’d been released from the hospital quickly, and the physical therapy helped with the back problems, but he still had some bad days with the pain. Like last night. He’d woken up barely able to move. Naga had gotten up and gotten him his meds, and re-heated the heat pad in the star plush. They fell back asleep with Naga gently rubbing Stinger’s upper back.</p>
<p>When he woke up, their positions had switched. Stinger pressed against Naga’s back, his arm and his tail over his stomach, holding him and the baby close. In spite of Stinger still needing to recover, Naga found himself sleeping better with Stinger home. Just his warmth, even breathing, him being close by was comforting. Stinger had smiled upon getting to the house and seeing that Naga had put all his things where he normally had them, right now to his reading glasses on the nightstand.</p>
<p>He considered putting on a pot of coffee, but the smell made him nauseous these days. His mom and Stinger drank coffee, but had stopped because of Naga’s weird sensitivity.</p>
<p>“Morning, Naga,” his dad greeted, coming into the kitchen. “You’re up early,” he commented.</p>
<p>“Stinger had a bad night,” Naga explained simply. “He’s still asleep so I want to make him breakfast and give him some meds.” He stopped, feeling a familiar wave of nausea and bile burning at the back of his throat. “Although that might need to wait until after I throw up.”</p>
<p>His dad smiled. “How about you go throw up and go back to bed and I’ll bring you both breakfast in a little bit?”</p>
<p>Naga almost protested, but had to choke back illness. He nodded and ground out, “Thank you, Papa,” and rushed out of the kitchen. He barely got upstairs and in their bathroom in enough time to empty his guts into the toilet.</p>
<p>He heard Stinger open the bathroom door and grab a washcloth, getting the cloth damp. Stinger got down on the floor, gently helping him sit up and wiping off his mouth. “I guess the morning sickness never goes away, huh?” he commented gently.</p>
<p>“How’s your back?” Naga asked hoarsely.</p>
<p>“I’m fine. Just need some more meds in a little bit.” Stinger refolded the washcloth and gently pressed the cool cloth to his forehead.</p>
<p>In spite of just having thrown up and feeling generally achy and awful, Naga smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered.</p>
<p>Stinger blinked. “I’m going to take care of you, Naga. You’ve always been there for me.”</p>
<p>“You’ve always been there for me too,” he replied softly. “When you were… gone…my parents were helping me. And I just missed you and kept thinking that I wanted you here. I wanted you to tell me everything would be okay.”</p>
<p>“Naga,” Stinger breathed, pulling him into a tight hug. Naga wrapped both arms around Stinger’s waist, head pressed to his shoulder, so happy to just be <em>held</em> by him. “I love you so much and I am so sorry you had to make it through six months of this without me. But I’m here now, and whatever you need, you know I’m going to do that for you.”</p>
<p>“I know. I want to help you too.” Naga pulled back a little. “My dad will bring us breakfast in a little bit.”</p>
<p>Stinger shook his head. “I can’t believe Arian learned how to cook. It was always you and Siliva that did the best cooking.”</p>
<p>Naga nudged him. “You made good cookies. And stew!”</p>
<p>“One pot meals are my thing,” Stinger replied dryly. He took a moment to get to his feet and then helped Naga get up. He led Naga back into the bedroom and asked, “How long until breakfast?”</p>
<p>Naga shrugged. “I’m not sure. Let’s just lay down until then.”</p>
<p>Stinger pulled back the covers and got Naga settled, then slipped in behind him. He wrapped an arm over his waist, commenting, “Little one, please stop kicking so much and let your papa sleep.”</p>
<p>“You’re coming with me after your therapy session, right?” Naga asked.</p>
<p>“To find out if our baby is a girl or a boy, and see the 3D scan? Of course! I wouldn’t miss that for anything in the world.”</p>
<p>“Good.”</p>
<p>Naga snuggled back against Stinger, closing his eyes.</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure how much time passed before he heard his dad knock on the door and call, “Everyone decent?”</p>
<p>“Come in, Papa!” he called. He wore a loose tunic top and comfortable pants. Stinger didn’t have a shirt on, but he did have pajama pants.</p>
<p>His dad came into the room with a tray. “Egg scramble with sausage, peppers and onions for Stinger, and oatmeal with blueberries and honey for Naga, with a side of turkey bacon,” his dad announced. Naga felt Stinger shift and sit up a little bit.</p>
<p>“You have to eat the turkey bacon this time,” Stinger reminded Naga.</p>
<p>He groaned against the pillow.</p>
<p>Naga felt Stinger take the tray from his dad, and then heard his dad set things down on the nightstand. “Tea,” his dad said. “That one is highly caffeinated.”</p>
<p>“So that’s mine,” Stinger guessed correctly.</p>
<p>“Good morning!”</p>
<p>Naga rolled over enough to see Balance leaning against the doorframe, sipping on a smoothie that his father had likely made for him.</p>
<p>“Morning, Balance,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“What are you guys doing today?” Balance asked.</p>
<p>Naga caught Stinger narrow his eyes. “Appointments,” Naga replied quickly.</p>
<p>“Oh good. I can work on my secret project!”</p>
<p>“Secret project?” Stinger asked, skeptical.</p>
<p>His father smiled. “I know what he’s planning and it’s fine. You’ll like it.”</p>
<p>“Do you live here now?” Stinger asked Balance.</p>
<p>Who did a little dance move, spun around and informed Stinger, “This is my address according to my official records, so yes, I live here.” He shook his head, making the weights dance. “And you’d miss me if I left so, this is a win-win, really.”</p>
<p>His father smiled again. “We’ll see you downstairs later,” and he expertly shooed Balance away from the door, and shut the door behind them.</p>
<p>“I guess we’ll find out his secret project later.”</p>
<p>Naga rubbed Stinger’s leg a little bit. “It will be fine.”</p>
<p>And honestly, he’d missed this. Stinger and Balance butting heads, being snarky to each other, but only to keep up appearances. Stinger actually found Balance endearing, and Balance would protect Stinger, so they had a mutual respect. But couldn’t let years of giving each other a hard time go to waste. They’d get to their appointments today. Naga was looking forward to the future.</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>That evening, they sat on the couch in the living room. Stinger leaned back against the corner, and Naga leaned against him. Stinger had one arm around Naga’s stomach, hand rubbing slowly, his other holding the datapad with the scan from that afternoon. Naga covered Stinger’s hand with his own, loving the peacefulness of the moment.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe that’s our son,” Stinger whispered.</p>
<p>“He’s going to look exactly like you,” Naga commented, smiling.</p>
<p>“Our son,” Stinger repeated, still looking awed.</p>
<p>The moment was interrupted by Balance swearing from the backyard.</p>
<p>“And I can’t believe his secret project is a treehouse,” Stinger added, voice long-suffering.</p>
<p>“He’s having fun. It’s fine.”</p>
<p>“Does he realize the baby won’t be able to walk for at least a year? Let alone climb up there?”</p>
<p>“Just consider it long-term planning. Like I said, he’s fine and he’s having fun.”</p>
<p>“He better have that cleaned up before our wedding in two weeks.”</p>
<p>“He will.” Naga rubbed Stinger’s arm a little. “Are you looking forward to seeing everyone at the wedding?”</p>
<p>Stinger huffed a small laugh. “Weirdly, I am.” He paused. “Lucky wants to know what we want to do for our vows. Write them ourselves or just do a regular ceremony.”</p>
<p>“What about the Scorpius ceremony words? Where you vow to love your partner across the universe and be a warrior for them?”</p>
<p>Naga caught Stinger look a little surprised and a little pleased. “You want to use a traditional Scorpius ceremony?”</p>
<p>“I liked the words. We love each other and we’ll fight for each other.” He shrugged. “Let’s use those.”</p>
<p>Stinger still looked a little stunned, but agreed, “I’ll tell Lucky.”</p>
<p>Naga gazed at the scan of their son again, and said softly, “Lucky wanted to know what we’re naming the baby.”</p>
<p>“What did you tell him?”</p>
<p>“We weren’t announcing the baby’s name until after he’s born.”</p>
<p>“Good, I don’t want them weighing in with their opinions.” Stinger kissed Naga’s temple. “Besides, I like the name you picked out.”</p>
<p>“Me too.”</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>The wedding happened two weeks later. Balance finished building the treehouse (with some help from Naga’s mom) and cleared away the extra building supplies. The other Kyurangers all came to Earth to help celebrate, and Spada insisted on cooking the entire meal and making a cake. Kotaro brought Jiro and his uncle, and Garu brought his wife. With Naga’s parents, that accounted for everyone.</p>
<p>The party wound down, everyone still clustered around the tables set up, nibbling at the remaining desserts and food, and sipping whatever remained of the drinks and wine.</p>
<p>Naga leaned against Stinger, who had an arm wrapped around him.</p>
<p>The Scorpius System didn’t wear white to weddings—Stinger said Earth had that tradition. Naga had asked him what they should wear. Stinger replied he would wear traditional Scorpius attire. Since Naga didn’t have any traditions from the Ophiuchus System and definitely did not think much of Earth’s, he asked Stinger if he could wear that attire too. So Stinger made them both clothing, tunic-style tops, matching pants, scarfs, ornaments in their hair. The colors and symbols embroidered into the items carried significance for them, and Naga could see the Ophiuchus System and the Scorpius System, Kyutamas and stars and spaceships and so many more things that belonged to <em>them</em>.</p>
<p>Stinger had also finished the baby’s blanket, and while Lucky had acknowledged the baby during the ceremony, they had wanted a symbol, so Naga held his blanket.</p>
<p>“You okay?” Stinger asked. “Want me to get you anything?”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head. “No, I’m comfortable.” He glanced up at him. “Do you need something?”</p>
<p>Stinger smiled, holding him a little closer, hand on his stomach. “No. I have everyone I need right here.”</p>
<p>“Are you excited for the baby to be born?” Naga whispered.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Stinger replied immediately. “I can’t wait to meet him, hold him for the first time.”</p>
<p>“I’m still scared.”</p>
<p>“I know.” Stinger held him a little closer. “I am too, in some ways. But we’ll figure things out.”</p>
<p>“We have to finish folding his clothes when we get back.”</p>
<p>Stinger smiled. “I know.”</p>
<p>His parents had gotten them a weekend away at a spa in lieu of a full-fledged honeymoon, although they had promised a proper honeymoon once the baby was old enough to be left with Jii-chan and Baa-chan for a week. Naga didn’t really think they’d actually go to the spa or hot springs, so much as they would stay in their room and make love. He’d been really pleased that Stinger still wanted to get that intimate, especially with him so pregnant. He’d even had moment of insecurity where he’d just fretted about how he looked.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Naga, you’re carrying our baby. The way you look is natural and beautiful. I will always want you. You being pregnant isn’t going to change that.”</em>
</p>
<p>Naga looked out at all their friends, still smiling and laughing, and said softly to Stinger, “I’m scared, but I’m ready.”</p>
<p>Stinger’s smile grew. “I am too.”</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>“Okay, Naga, stop! Stop for a moment. Take a break.”</p>
<p>Naga stopped forcing himself to push and collapsed back against the bed, leaning heavily against Stinger, feeling his dad at his other side. He sobbed a little, looking at Stinger and shaking his head. “It’s too much,” he cried. “I can’t do this. I can’t!”</p>
<p>Stinger gently cupped his cheek. “Naga, listen to me. You are the strongest person I know. You <em>can</em> do this. The nurse and the doctor said he’s almost here.”</p>
<p>Naga shook his head again. If he thought the pain of being pregnant had been overwhelming, this… this was worse. His entire body had exceeded what he originally thought was his pain threshold and he’d been given the maximum dosage of all painkillers. And still, every time he got a contraction or the doctor wanted him to push, he wanted this to be completely done. When early labor signs started, he’d spent two days in pain and crying before his water broke and they finally went to the hospital. And then everything got much worse.</p>
<p>The first day, because he knew those were early labor signs, he’d tried to downplay his pain. His father had done this in the Ophiuchus System where he was not allowed to show the pain, and he knew his stress levels caused his blood pressure to go up. Naga reasoned, if he started crying, he’d just get dehydrated and high blood pressure. But he did want to cry. And managed about two hours before he completely broke down on Stinger, who held him through the pain, and helped give him some ice chips that his father brought. Stinger and both his parents told him he didn’t need to hide the pain, and the doctor and nurse had repeated that when they checked in.</p>
<p>“Is there anything else you can give him?” Naga heard his father ask the nurse.</p>
<p>“No,” she replied gently. “He’s had the maximum dosages of everything. Anything else could send him into an overdose or harm the baby.”</p>
<p>Naga’s dad came back to the bed, gently holding a towel and wiping away some of the sweat and tears. He handed Stinger the cup of ice chips. “Naga,” his dad said soothingly, “little snake, you’re almost done with this—you’re going to get through. The baby is almost here.”</p>
<p>“What if I can’t?” Naga looked at his dad. “What if I can’t finish this?”</p>
<p>“You <em>can</em>,” his dad responded.</p>
<p>“How do you know?” Naga shot back. He felt exhausted and ached and wanted to sleep for an eternity. He just wanted this to be <em>over</em>.</p>
<p>“Because I didn’t think I’d be able to get <em>you</em> here. And you are far stronger than I ever could be, so that’s how I know that you can do this.”</p>
<p>“Papa,” he whimpered.</p>
<p>“Naga,” Stinger added. “Let me give you some ice.”</p>
<p>The doctor nodded. “You’re in the final stretch, Naga. Just give this everything you’ve got and your baby boy will be here before you know it.”</p>
<p>He tried to nod, but ended up sobbing again. But he managed to calm down enough to accept an ice chip from Stinger, and let that melt in his mouth while Stinger wiped down his face again. He then grabbed Stinger’s hand, holding tightly. His father rubbed his back, while he could vaguely hear his mother saying encouraging things from somewhere else in the room.</p>
<p>“Are you ready, Naga?” the doctor asked.</p>
<p>He was not ready in the slightest, but nodded anyways, trying his best to follow the doctor’s instructions. He was so tired and so sore and didn’t want to do this anymore, but then the doctor said that she could see the baby’s head and almost… almost…</p>
<p>“He’s here!” the doctor announced. And then the baby start to wail.</p>
<p>Naga burst into tears.</p>
<p>Stinger cupped his face. “You did it, Naga,” he breathed. “You did it. He’s beautiful.”</p>
<p>His father kept rubbing his face. When he glanced at his dad, he saw tears too. “Papa?” he whispered.</p>
<p>His dad shook his head. “Nothing. Your son <em>is</em> beautiful.”</p>
<p>Stinger gently kissed Naga’s forehead and went to join the nurse where she was taking care of their son. He got the baby into his first diaper and brought him over to Naga. He didn’t reach out immediately. Stinger grinned, gazing at the baby. “He’s here,” he breathed. Naga looked at the baby. Even so tiny, he looked exactly like Stinger, wrapped in the baby blanket.</p>
<p>Hesitating, he reached out and Stinger settled the baby into his arms.</p>
<p>“What is his name?” his dad asked softly.</p>
<p>“Hikari,” Naga whispered, staring at the baby. “Because he was my light in a really dark time.”</p>
<p>Naga knew he had some further pain and unpleasantness coming, but he would be able to hold Hikari for a few minutes. Stinger wrapped an arm around him and the baby, holding them both close. Stinger pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. Naga returned the kiss. Hikari settled down, closing his eyes. So impossibly tiny, yet he felt heavy in Naga’s arms.</p>
<p>“We’ll do a scan after we get you both settled,” the nurse told them, “But everything appears to be fine. He’s small, but healthy.”</p>
<p>Eventually, everything was over. Naga felt awful, but had been given another dose of pain medication and had clean clothes and clean sheets on the bed. Hikari slept in his bassinet. The nurse had done a scan and they learned, while Hikari might looked exactly like Stinger, he had Naga’s ability to bear children. Which made Naga smile and he had no idea why.</p>
<p>Stinger had kissed him, made sure Hikari was asleep, and then said he’d call Balance and go to the cafeteria to get some food for them. (Balance had been intending on going to the hospital with them, but took one look at Naga in pain and passed out himself. Naga wasn’t upset. Balance didn’t have a high tolerance for seeing people in pain and Naga would rather he see him and the baby afterwards, anyways.)</p>
<p>Naga dozed a little, but then heard his parents talking.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” his mother whispered.</p>
<p>“For what?” his dad replied.</p>
<p>“I had no idea what you went through to have Naga—and you couldn’t express any of the pain and I know they didn’t give you pain medication during the birth either.” A pause and, “I knew things were hard but I didn’t know they were that hard.”</p>
<p>“We did what we had to do,” he replied, “and that’s why I wanted Naga out of there. So he can be here, having his own child, not having to hide anything.”</p>
<p>“Still, that’s amazing.”</p>
<p>“I can’t believe we have a grandchild.”</p>
<p>“You weren’t much older than Naga when you had him.”</p>
<p>“I know. It’s just… where does the time go?”</p>
<p>“I know.” She paused and added, “I’m glad we left. I didn’t fully understand at the time, I just knew that was the right thing to do. And Naga’s gotten choices, to make friends, became a Kyuranger, and now starting a family of his own.” Another pause. “Do you think he’s happy?”</p>
<p>“Now that Stinger is back and they’re married, yes. I think he’s happy. And Hikari already seems like a very easygoing baby. I think they’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“I love you, and them, so much. I didn’t even think that was possible.”</p>
<p>“Anything is possible. I think Naga teaches me that every day.”</p>
<p>----------------</p>
<p>“I want to hold the baby!”</p>
<p>“You always want to hold the baby.”</p>
<p>“He’s my godson! Of course, I want to hold him.”</p>
<p>“We have neither confirmed nor denied the godson thing.”</p>
<p>“Naga, tell Stinger that Hikari is my godson!”</p>
<p>Naga smiled from where he finished up a paper for his latest class on his datapad. “Hikari is your godson,” he confirmed.</p>
<p>“See?” Balance shot back. “Now can I hold him?”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Stinger replied, tone long-suffering, but he settled the baby into Balance’s arms. “But you’ll only want to hold him until he spits up or needs a diaper change.”</p>
<p>“Because that’s parent territory, not godfather territory!”</p>
<p>Balance started walking around with Hikari, who had just eaten and been burped and changed by Stinger. He’d fall asleep soon, but for now, he remained awake, looking at Balance with interest.</p>
<p>Stinger came over to the couch just as Naga submitted the paper. “Last one for the semester?” he asked. Naga nodded, putting the datapad on the coffee table. Stinger wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and Naga slipped both arms around his waist, snuggling close to him.</p>
<p>The back door had been open to let the cool evening breeze into the house. Balance walked the baby out onto the back porch, talking to him and showing him the stars that began to be visible. “You see that star. That’s where your Tou-chan is from and that one, that’s where your Papa is from. I think your Tou-chan is a little spiky, but he really loves you and your Papa.”</p>
<p>Naga pulled back enough to see Stinger roll his eyes, but not say anything. He gently pressed a kiss to Stinger’s lips. Stinger responded, hanging on for more.</p>
<p>“Let me know when you’re ready for another one,” Naga whispered.</p>
<p>Stinger blinked, looking surprised. “You want to do that again? After all the pain and discomfort?”</p>
<p>Naga shrugged. “We got something beautiful, didn’t we?” He looked at Hikari in Balance’s arms, the baby paying attention to what Balance said. “Hikari was worth it. And another baby would be worth it.”</p>
<p>Stinger smiled. “Just one more, though. I don’t want to be outnumbered.”</p>
<p>“One more,” Naga agreed.</p>
<p>After everything in his life, being here, with Stinger and their son, and his parents, and Balance… Naga finally felt like he knew what happiness felt like.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fin.</p>
<p>First Run: 22 November 2020 – 28 November 2020</p>
<p>Second Run: 28 November 2020</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what else you would like to see over on tumblr! Leave me a comment or kudos, let me know you're out there! :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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